Arka
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 p.2 #7 · I need a clear moon photo | |
Brent Ward wrote:
haijak wrote:
I'm a 3rd vote for free moon photos.
All you copyright mavens need to research the economics of infinite supply.
Doesn't matter HOW many images of the moon there are, they are still copyrighted and not public domain unless it's from NASA or the photographer has released it to public domain.
Other photographers telling people that it's okay to swipe something instead of paying 10 bucks is destroying the industry that you yourself are part of. It's like people who work in a sock plant in the US, going to walmart and buying socks made over seas, then having the nerve to complain when they lose their jobs...
Brent, I have a lot of respect for what you do, but I can't get behind what you've said here.
Just because something may be copyrighted does not mean that people are obliged by law to pay for it; as I am sure you know, there are plenty of instances where use of a copyrighted work is completely legal and even ethical by most community standards. If these gaps in the law did not exist, we would all be infringers and thieves.
In this case, the enormous number of public-domain moon photos makes your advice that the OP pay for one seem selfish at best. You're not protecting the industry; you're making it look bad.
Finally, your belief that people engaged in creative expression tend to favor strong IP laws is not entirely correct. Here's at least one example of an amazing artist who would love to see copyright law weakened; one of her most popular and labor-intensive works is distributed for free at her behest. She is not alone in her belief that the Creative Commons may actually be better for artistic productivity than a copyright term that our great grandchildren will enjoy the benefit of...
Raising the canard about "living the life" of a working photographer is hardly a defense for your particular understanding of how IP rights should be. Not to put it too harshly, but IP laws in the U.S. don't exist explicitly for the benefit of artists or inventors; they exist to "promote the progress of science and the useful arts." Limited monopolies to individual creators are the means chosen, but those monopolies should be balanced against a robust public domain. Many of the people here (myself included) have worked as full time photographers and artists, and nonetheless found reason to question the benefits of a strong copyright law.
Arka C.
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